MVRDV

Radio Hotel and Tower

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

RADIO HOTEL AND TOWER

MVRDV

ARCHITECTS
Mvrdv

FACADE ENGINEER
Cany Technical Services, Lcc

EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT
Stonehill Taylor Architects

INTERIOR DESIGN
Workshop Apd

BUILDING SYSTEMS
Cosentini Associates

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Gace Consulting Engineers Dpc

CIVIL ENGINEER
Akrf

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER
Langan Engineering

PRINCIPAL IN CHARGE
Winy Maas

COPYRIGNT
Mvrdv Winy Maas, Jacob Van Rijs, Nathalie De Vries

PARTNER
Frans De Witte

VISUALIZATIONS
Antonio Luca Coco, Kirill Emelianov

DESIGN TEAM
Fedor Bron, Mick Van Gemert, Mark Van Den Ouden, Samuel Delgado, Ronald Kam, Fouad Addou, Daniele Zonta, Yassin Matni, Giuseppe Carosini And Giuseppe Campo Antico

HOTEL MANAGEMENT
Sightline Hospitality

AREA
27200 M²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
New York, United States

CATEGORY
Hotels

Text description provided by architect.

Designed for developer Youngwoo & Associates with Stonehill Taylor as the architect of record, the building is the first completed building by Dutch firm MVRDV in the United States.

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

The building has a dramatic impact on the skyline of upper Manhattan, yet its design responds sensitively to the neighborhood and adds much-needed hotel, office, and hospitality amenities that were missing.

The distinctive design comprises a stack of blocks that match the size of the buildings in the immediate context, clad in eight different colors of glazed brick.

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

This design approach creates a vertical village so that the building does not overwhelm the surroundings, as is so often the case when individual buildings are larger than their neighbors.

The stacked shape has the added benefit of providing multiple outdoor terraces, with every block having its own outdoor space on the roof of the block below.

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

The building’s bright colors are a further nod to this part of the city, referencing the shopfronts of the vibrant neighborhood.

The brightest colors – bright green, yellow, blue, red, and orange – are found on the upper blocks, while more muted colors – plum, teal, and grey-brown – greet visitors at street level.

“Washington Heights has a unique and exciting character, very different from the other Manhattan neighborhoods further south”, says MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas.

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

“The design of Radio Hotel and Tower is inspired by that character – we took the smaller blocks that are typical in the neighborhood and stacked them into a vertical village. Add to that the bright colors that you see all around the area, and the project is like a beacon celebrating this part of the city.”

Inside, the 221-room Radio Hotel will serve as an important hub for those traveling for conferences hosted by the Yeshiva University and the New York Presbyterian Hospital, both of which are located nearby.

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

The hotel’s interior design by Workshop APD takes the exterior as its inspiration, matching the brightly-colored bathrooms to the colors of the blocks.

In addition, the building includes ground-level retail and over 16,000 square meters of office space.

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

On the 12th floor, in the blue block, is Above The Heights, a dedicated event space suitable for everything from weddings and reunions to bar mitzvahs and quinceañeras, with the adjacent rooftop terrace boasting spectacular views of Manhattan.

“We put 300 million dollars into developing Radio Hotel and Tower – for that investment we could have easily constructed a building in downtown Manhattan,” says Margarette Lee, partner at Youngwoo & Associates.

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

“We chose this location because we believe in the neighborhood, and we have a chance here to have an impact.

Seventy percent of the employees at the hotel and restaurant are from the neighborhood; our presence here will result in a significant economic input to the community.”

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

The building also hosts a range of facilities for food and entertainment, including Jalao NYC, which celebrates the neighborhood’s local Dominican culture.

The first US outpost of the popular Santo Domingo restaurant, Jalao NYC was created by a collaboration between Richard Sandoval Hospitality and Jalao founder Antonio Espaillat.

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

Just beyond the restaurant at ground level, the hotel also features a 750-square-meter courtyard with a garden and ample outdoor seating, which is a hub of live music and activity for the hotel.

Bringing a jolt of electric energy to an often-overlooked part of Manhattan, Radio Hotel and Tower address Washington Heights’ pressing lack of hotel rooms.

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode

It celebrates the area’s community, furthering the urban qualities of the surroundings without departing from the already-existing urban character.

And of course, it creates a landmark that brings attention to the neighborhood; already this new addition has attracted praise and interest, with Time Out New York writing “suddenly we’re itching for a staycation way, way uptown”.

Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode


Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode
Radio Hotel and Tower
© Ossip van Duivenbode


Radio Hotel and Tower
Diagram
Radio Hotel and Tower
Diagram
Radio Hotel and Tower
Diagram


Radio Hotel and Tower
Diagram
Radio Hotel and Tower
Diagram


Radio Hotel and Tower
Ground floor plan
Radio Hotel and Tower
Level 5 floor plan
Radio Hotel and Tower
Level 12 floor plan
Radio Hotel and Tower
Level 14 floor plan
Radio Hotel and Tower
Level 22 floor plan
Radio Hotel and Tower
Axo

MVRDV
T +31 10 477 2860
MVRDV
Achterklooster 7, 3011 RA Rotterdam, Netherlands